So, I went along to the casino at around 2 o'clock on a Wednesday with a friend so I didn't look too awkward. When I went in I immediately regretted what I was wearing. Not that everyone was very dressed up, but you could tell that people had made an effort to look nice, whereas I had bunged on a jumper and old trousers. However, no one seemed to care so my discomfort soon disappeared. We sat at the bar and I pulled out my camera ready to take some photos until the barman told me off - apparently it's illegal to take photos in a casino. When I thought about it I felt pretty stupid because I always knew that was the case and I hastily stuffed my camera back in my bag.
I began to 'stealthily observe' the people who were in the casino. I immediately noticed one massive difference between the day time casino and night time casino - during the day no one was drunk. My previous experiences in the casino are of dodging drunken people who are stumbling about, and mostly around my age. During the day however I was pretty certain I was the youngest person there. Most people seemed to be maybe in their thirties or older and they were certainly more sophisticated. There were a lot more men than there were women so I guessed that the casino is a popular spot for men to meet up for a drink. There were also a few couples eating their lunch and drinking coffee's.
There were also less people gambling than I expected. One table seemed to have more people at it than the others, predictably the poker. It was all middle aged men who were playing, all of them taking it very seriously. There were plenty of chips on the table, not that this meant much to me because I can't play poker, but my friend pointed out that there was an awful lot of money in play. We were not close enough to hear what was being said but now and again there would be a groan and someone would leave the table. I have to say that the idea of gambling has never appealed to me as I would probably be the one to lose all their money, but the people who I saw gambling that day were so absorbed in their game that they wouldn't even look up if spoken to.
There were bank machines dotted about the place, obviously because people need easy access to their money, but it also made me painfully aware of how dangerous a place like this could be. I'm sure plenty of people get themselves into real problems spending too much in the casino. I have been told stories before by friends of how they won money in the casino and got the 'bug' - they couldn't stop gambling because they wanted to win again. I remembered how my boyfriend had drunkenly phoned me from the casino once before, slurring about how he had won about £4000 after putting on a £200 bet with his friend. I was naturally over the moon (think how many pairs of shoes that would buy!) and told him to get straight back to his house instead of gambling more. He then sheepishly produced £500 the next day, admitting that he kept on gambling and lost the rest of it. Now £500 is still pretty good going considering that he was blind drunk and could hardly string a sentence together, but he still lost £3500. All because he got too confident and messed it up. Idiot! This may not have been a serious situation as he did not get himself into any financial difficulty and actually managed (somehow) to still make a profit, but it highlights the danger involved in gambling.
The people gambling at the casino looked to me like people who could afford to play about with their money, a lot more comfortably off than the likes of me! Although I did notice that there were tables where you could bet as little as 50p. That would be the table I'd stick to anyway! I guess though that the whole point in the casino is to spend money so I am not the sort of person that they aim to attract. Also, the odds of winning a decent amount of money aren't very high (the casino would be skint otherwise) so you're more likely to lose money rather than win it. I think what attracts people to the casino is the glamour associated with it - the idea of being able to throw money away without blinking has always been perceived as 'sexy' - and people like to give themselves an ego boost by being seen in these places. Look at all of the James Bond films (yes, James Bond again) they all seem to show James Bond in the casino at some point, playing poker and holding the winning cards, then flouncing off with the beautiful woman who was sitting at the table with him. Winning money is sexy! This also links back to the people who were in the casino as I mentioned before - mostly men. Maybe men think they will attract gorgeous women and become secret agents if they gamble, you never
know.
I can't say that I would be attending the casino during the day again as I felt that it was a completely different clientèle that it was aimed at. Not that I felt too uncomfortable, just I think to be there on a quiet day you're expected to either have a meal or gamble and since I did neither I felt slightly stupid.
http://www.gcasino.co.uk/dundee - website for the casino that I visited.
hahaha, sarah you made me laugh with this.
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